OCA Honors 5th Anniversary of DACA Program

Washington, D.C. – OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates marks the 5th anniversary of the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

On this day five years ago, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting applications for DACA, enabling nearly 800,000young immigrants to work and study legally in the U.S. There are roughly 1.6 million undocumented Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in this country, and over 130,000 are eligible for DACA. The program provides assistance in many Asian languages including Chinese, Khmer, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and other South Asian languages. In a seven-month period in 2014 alone, over 2,500 AAPIs were served by the DACA program.

“Five years ago, DACA granted me a 9-digital number that gave meaning and legitimacy to my status, my contribution and my love for this country,” said Ivy Teng Lei, a DACA recipient and OCA member. “I have been able to work for multiple Fortune 500 companies, support my family and travel to different parts of the country fighting for diversity and inclusion in Corporate America, access to education for underprivileged communities, and undocumented immigrants, especially for those who also arrived as a child, to shine light on their stories.

“DACA has given me, and 800,000 other DACA recipients, a temporary exemption from deportation, a chance at proving our worth in this country, and a chance at the American Dream.”

“President Trump and his administration must continue to support the DACA program. It has helped hundreds of thousands of young people, like Ivy, further their education and given them the opportunity to more directly contribute to their local economies,” said Vicki Shu, OCA National Vice President of Public Affairs. “As of 2016, DACA recipients have contributed approximately $433.4 billion to the U.S. GDP. There are clear and tangible reasons as to why DACA is important and needs to be continued. Additionally, OCA calls on all members of Congress to support the DREAM Act, which will further the benefits that DACA offers our economy and immigrants today.”

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs.)